Claimed by the Claws

by Laura Wylde

  I kind of looked out of the corner of my eye and the woman that was waiting in front of me had a little bit of a smart ass face. I was just doing what everybody else wanted to do. But I wasn’t afraid to do it.

  After a few moments, the couple on either side had stopped, but they haven't gotten out yet and I needed to go now. I was sick of waiting and I felt like I was going to pee myself, having one too many drinks already. I banged harder.

  “People are waiting come on!”

  “Damn fine, what the hell?”

  I waited for the couple to unlock the stall door and neither one of them would meet my gaze. I went back in the line and motioned for the first one to go ahead.

  “You go ahead honey. I will wait a little longer just to have been able to watch that. They’d been in there for like fifteen minutes.”

  I thanked her and went into the bathroom stall, locking it behind me. I was worried about Bree, but I told myself that she was going to be fine. I wasn't going to be that long.

  Chapter 5

  Greg

  I had just gotten to Doc’s and I went to the bar first. It was always my first stop when I got there and he already had a shot and a beer waiting for me. It was strange to think that not too long ago we were on opposite sides, but his side had lost and he didn't have a side anymore. Now he had to get along with me. It was the best bar out on the interstate and me and the old man had come to some sort of agreement. We had, in a way, but I knew that if he ever had a side again, it would be on in a heartbeat. The man had no loyalty for me.

  “Thanks Doc.”

  “No problem,” Greg replied.

  “Has there been any of those lately? Heard that a couple of my guys got rowdy the other night. I hope it wasn't too much bother.”

  Fact was that I had sent my guys over here to start a little trouble for Doc. We had a bit of a falling out the other night and it was my retaliation. I made sure that the guys didn't hurt him, but I did make sure that he lost few bottles of some very expensive alcohol. Maybe next time he would think twice before he refused the delivery for my guys.

  “No, it was not too much bother at all. I wouldn't think anything of it. It was like it never happened.”

  The old man’s eyes were cold and I could tell that he was challenging me silently. No, there was no loyalty between me and Doc. I turned around and walked away before he realized how much he pissed me off. I took my drink with me and got some distance between me and the old man. After a long day’s work, the last thing I wanted to do was mentally battle with an old guy.

  I looked around the room and seen a lot of familiar faces. While my club had a lot of hot women, I had already tried them all and I wanted something new. Actually, I knew what I wanted, but I couldn't have her.

  Just about the time that Bree jumped into my mind, I took out my phone to call her. I don't know what made me call her, but my fingers had a natural way of just pushing the buttons to her number, every single time. It wasn’t even voluntary anymore.

  It started to ring and I waited for her to answer. Most of the time it went straight to voicemail because she didn't want to talk. Bree was still under the impression that she had a choice, but she didn't. I always got what I wanted and I wanted her. Which means I was going to get her.

  She didn’t answer and I pushed the phone back in my pocket before I noticed an ass that I knew very well. It was the same woman I had just called. She was alone at the bar, a man on either side of her and she was looking from one to the other. I could tell that she was just being nice and wasn’t too into them. But, I still hated the sight and I wanted to pull Dyson’s head off. He didn’t know who she was, but he was about to know. Bree was mine, until the end of time. That’s just how it was.

  I started over to her and Dyson noticed me before she did. She had her back to me, but I could see the instant she did. It was the moment I said something, Bree knew I was right behind her.

  “Hey boss. Glad to see you here. You need a beer?”

  “No, I need you to get the fuck on. I need to talk to Bree.”

  The man’s face got a little stricken and I knew it was because he all of a sudden knew who she was. They might not know her by the way she looks, but if they were in my club, they knew that I was still into Bree. I couldn’t get the damn woman off my mind.

  “Sorry boss, I didn’t know.”

  Calvin got up with Dyson and they both left quickly. Bree turned around finally and I was pulled to her. Damn, she was so fucking beautiful. Her lips were full and red, begging me to kiss her. She had a look on her face that told me that she wasn’t too happy with me, but I didn’t care. It certainly didn’t upset me in any way to see her mad that I had gotten rid of those two.

  “You didn’t have to do that Greg. That’s so rude. And so embarrassing.”

  I told her that she was lucky that they were in my club or they would have been bloody on the floor.

  Bree looked away and I knew that I had said too much. She didn’t want to know the real me. She wouldn’t have been able to stand being around me then. She was delicate and I wasn’t. That’s for sure.

  “You don’t have a reason to be that way Greg, and you know it.”

  I knew no such thing.

  “The hell I don’t. You’re mine, Bree. Always will be and you’ll get it one day. Why else would you be here? You must have been waiting for me, knowing that I would be around sooner or later.”

  She didn’t seem all that happy to see me, but I moved towards her and kissed her. Her lips were soft, but she was pushing against me to stop.

  “Stop! What the hell is wrong with you Greg? You know that we aren’t together anymore. We broke up. I broke up with you and you need to move on.”

  “And what, you’re with Dyson now? You see where he is. He ran off just like that. Is that who you choose over me?”

  “I was talking to him, that’s it. I’m not with anyone and after you, I doubt I ever will be again.”

  “Because you know you’ll never find anyone like me.”

  “Thank God.”

  She was the one being rude now and I wasn’t used to her talking back to me. She hadn’t ever done it much in our relationship and I didn’t like the little bit of backbone that she had gained while we were apart. I grabbed her arm and tried to pull her towards me. She made a whimpering sound, but didn’t fight me. This is what I was used to.

  “What are you doing Greg? I don’t want to be anywhere near you.”

  I growled at her and told her to shut up. I didn’t want her making a scene, especially not right here in front of so many of my crew. I didn’t want anyone talking shit about me behind my back, like I couldn’t even control my woman.

  “We need to talk Bree. I’m sick of this friction being between us. Aren’t you sick of it too?”

  I didn’t give her time to talk because she was starting to pull away as we moved towards the entrance. I wasn’t going to get into it here with her, in the middle of everyone, but I was going to take her out front and give her a talking to. I’d given her time to have her tantrum and it was time for her to just submit. She was mine and that was that. The sooner she learned it to be true, the easier it would be.

  “What’s going on here? Do you need help?”

  I turned around to see a face that I hadn’t seen in a while. I knew the man in front of me, but I was trying to figure out why he was here at Doc’s. And why the hell he was asking Bree if she needed help.

  “What are you doing here?”

  I didn’t let go of Bree and when she tried to pull away when I was distracted, I just squeezed a little harder. She wasn’t going anywhere.

  “Let her go, now.”

  Shocked that Daxton was talking to me like this, I had to calm myself. Did he know who he was talking to? He’d been gone a long damn time and I would be the first to let him know that things had changed. His crew didn’t run things anymore. They were gone and The Valley Kings were the ones left standing.

  “I’m
not doing shit. Get the hell out of here Daxton. This isn’t Scorpion turf any longer. Those days are done.”

  He looked surprised and I knew then that he didn’t know what had happened. I smiled at him. It was good that I got to be the one to tell him. It was time he knew what had happened to his beloved club. He shouldn’t have left.

  Chapter 6

  Daxton

  The young woman was not struggling very hard, but I could see that Greg was hurting her. I hadn’t seen the guy in years and by the looks of things, not much had changed. He was still the same asshole as before.

  “Let her go Greg. I’m not going anywhere until you get your hands off of her.”

  He looked at me like he wanted to say something smart, but I’d took a step towards him and he wasn’t as apt now.

  “Come on Daxton. You can’t just come in here and order me around. Things have changed and the Scorpions are dead.”

  I wasn’t listening to him. I took another step towards him, fully aware that I was going to have to put my hands on him and not worried about it at all. It wouldn’t be the first time and it certainly wouldn’t be the last either.

  “I don’t care about whose turf this is or anything else Greg. I want you to get your fucking hands off of her now.”

  I was ready to just throttle him then and there. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about him and his crew anymore. I was raising my voice and I noticed that several people were walking our way. I didn’t know who they were, but I imagined that it had something to do with the nonsense that was coming out of his mouth.

  About to deck him, Greg must have seen it in my eyes. He hadn’t noticed the people surrounding us yet, but I was all too aware of it. I don’t know what the hell was happening at the moment, but I knew that I wanted to get the girl and get the hell out of here. I’d seen the brunette from across the room and she was the reason I’d came over. Greg had come up while I was walking by and it wasn’t long before he had his hands on her.

  She was looking at me with the most innocent eyes and I wanted her. I don’t know why, but I wanted this little bitch badly and I couldn’t stand to see her hurt. I couldn’t stand to see any woman hurt at all, this one got to me and I’d never been so mad in all of my life. I could feel the anger welling up and threatening to take over

  He let her go and I pulled her towards me.

  “We need to get out of here. Like now.”

  I could feel the other men closing in on me. No one was here that I knew except Meatloaf on his way. I couldn’t even find Doc because I think he’d went into the back. This was not the homecoming I was thinking of finding and I was still confused about what Greg was talking about.

  Bree looked at me and I could tell that she was unsure what to do. The girls look so nervous and I tried to tell her that it was going to be okay. She didn't know me at all, but she had to see that I was going to be better than her being with Greg. Greg had no compunctions of putting his hands on a woman, obviously.

  “We really have to go.”

  “I can't go yet, my friend...”

  I cursed under my breath because I wanted to get the hell out of here. I needed to find out what was going on and I didn't want to leave her behind. But, Greg and his guys were all around me and it wasn’t going to end well if I didn't leave. I certainly wasn't on my turf anymore. Things had changed since I've been gone and I had to figure out what happened. No one told me this was going on and I had to wonder what else I didn't know about.

  I saw a blonde walking up that I thought I recognized and she had a questioning look on her face. Greg turn towards her and she made a face at him.

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  Greg looked about as happy to see her and she was to see him. I didn't know what was going on, but it took me a minute to realize that it was Sandra. She had changed a lot since I had seen her last, but it didn't look like her attitude had changed at all. She still was just as rowdy as any other man, but most likely that was because of her brother Meatloaf. She had been fighting with him since she was young and at 300 pounds, Meatloaf was a good sparring partner.

  “Sandra, we got to go.”

  Meatloaf had just pulled up in the parking lot to meet me and he was walking in, as we were all walking out.

  “What's going on?”

  “We have a lot to talk about.”

  He looked behind me and saw Greg with his crew and he knew what I was talking about. It was like he wasn’t going to look me in the eyes and I knew that I was going to like what I saw. It was so bad that he didn’t wanted to tell me about it, not even my best friend.

  I knew that we were at the bar to meet with Meatloaf's sister and one of her friends. I just didn't know that the woman I just helped was her. This was going to be interesting. I was attracted to her right from the start and now I got to have a better look at her. I was over six foot three and she had to be at least five foot ten. I was used to girls a lot shorter and I liked that I didn't have to strain so much to see her.

  She was talking to Sandra for a moment and I had blocked everything out. I wanted to know what was going on with the club and why no one had told me that Greg had taken over the area. Meatloaf could have mentioned it, but I was too focused on the girl in front of me. I don't know what it was about her, but I was trying to her and the idea that she was Sandra's friend just made it a little bit easier.

  “Hey Daxton, it's good to see you. It's been awhile.”

  “Yes it has, but I see that you are as pretty as ever.”

  She gave me a hug, but she wasn’t paying me much mind. She was watching her friend and I was waiting for the introduction.

  “And this is?”

  “My hot ass friend Bree.”

  She said it with a smile and I knew that she had noticed the way I was looking at her. I wasn’t trying to hide it or anything. This chick was hot as hell and I liked the name Bree. It rolled off my tongue just right.

  I put my hand out to shake it and she slipped hers in against my palm. Instead of shaking it, I turned it to the top of her hand and brought it up to my lips. Her skin was warm and smooth against them and her eyes got a little wider. It was not a reaction that I was used to in a woman. Most woman would smile at me knowingly, like they knew what I wanted and they knew how to give it to me. There was none of that in Bree’s eyes and it made me wonder.

  “Damn Daxton, you going to let go of her hand?”

  I looked over at Meatloaf and told him to shut up. I wasn’t ready, but now I had to. Bree pulled her hand away and stepped back a bit. It broke the moment and I was going to kill him when we had a minute alone. We were going to have a lot to talk about and I wasn’t going to be able to get to it in front of the women. We had to get them out of here, so that we could have some privacy.

  “Why don’t you girls take off and we will have a drink at the house?”

  Meatloaf made the suggestion after he saw the look on my face. He knew what was coming next and while I wanted to stay and see Bree a little while longer, I also knew that I had to get some answers. The guys from inside were starting to pour out and the girl’s started towards their car.

  “We need to get out of here bro.”

  He agreed and nodded his head. We both knew what was going to happen if we went up against ten plus guys. We weren’t going to walk away and we had to get out of here. I figured that Greg wouldn’t make a move if we left. I wasn’t one to walk away from a fight, but I had no problem doing it when it was going to lead to a massacre. I wasn’t that stupid.

  We got on our bikes and started off. The girls were about to leave and I didn’t worry about it. They were going to be fine. They were going to meet us at Meatloaf’s in a bit, after me and him had a conversation. Without saying a word, we both knew where to go. I followed his tail lights for a while and tried to figure out what was going on. I was starting to realize that a hell of a lot had changed since my time deployed. I hadn’t gotten any letters and I thought it was just because I was g
one on missions so much. Now I was starting to think that it had all happened for a reason.

  Chapter 7

  Bree

  I was not really sure what to say. Me and Sandra looked back at the bar and saw that Greg was outside with some of his friends. He looked at me for a moment, but his attention was pulled back to Daxton. I wasn't sure what was going on, but Sandra was sort of rushing me to get in the car. It was the first thing that she had suggested that I was completely down for. I wanted to get the hell out of here.

  “What is going on?”

  “Just get him Bree. Something is going down with them and I don't want to be here when it happens.”

  “Who was with Meatloaf?”

  “That's Daxton, didn’t I just tell you that?”

  She had a little smirk on her face and I tried to think that she didn't know what was going on but she did. She knew that I was attracted to him and even though I wasn't even sure why, it felt like a set-up. It felt like she was trying to set me up with him, even though she knew I wasn’t into those kind of guys. She knew how I felt about those types. I had broken up with Greg when I found out what he was.

  “No, I mean where did he come from?. If he is best friends with your brother, why haven't I seen him before?”

  “He’s been gone for a while. From what I hear, he just got back into Lost Hills a little while ago today. He's been gone for about four years.”

  Considering her brother’s ways, I asked her if he was just now getting out of jail. It was only thing that I can think of that would take a person away from his home town for several years and then have them turn back up.

  “No, nothing like that. He went into the military, Marines I think, and he was deployed most of the time so he never got to come back. He’s back now and I don't think that some people are happy about it.”